List of presidents of Turkey
The president of Turkey is the head of state of Turkey. There have been twelve heads of state since the inception of the republican period in 1923, following the Turkish War of Independence.
For a list of rulers of the predecessor Ottoman Empire, see List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire.
List of presidents
No. | Portrait | Name (Lifespan) |
Term of office & mandate Duration in years and days |
Party | Previous function | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) |
29 October 1923 |
10 November 1938 |
1923 | Republican People's Party | 1st Speaker of the Grand National Assembly | |
1927 | ||||||||
1931 | ||||||||
1935 | ||||||||
15 years and 13 days | ||||||||
2 | ![]() |
İsmet İnönü (1884–1973) |
10 November 1938 |
27 May 1950 |
1938 | Republican People's Party | 1st Prime Minister of Turkey | |
1939 | ||||||||
1943 | ||||||||
1946 | ||||||||
11 years and 198 days | ||||||||
3 | ![]() |
Celâl Bayar (1883–1986) |
27 May 1950 |
27 May 1960 |
1950 | Democrat Party | 3rd Prime Minister of Turkey | |
1954 | ||||||||
1957 | ||||||||
10 years and 1 day | ||||||||
4 | ![]() |
Cemal Gürsel (1895–1966) |
27 May 1960 |
28 March 1966 |
— | Independent | Chairman of the National Unity Committee | |
1961 | ||||||||
4 years and 170 days | ||||||||
5 | ![]() |
Cevdet Sunay (1899–1982) |
28 March 1966 |
28 March 1973 |
1966 | Independent | 12th Chief of the Turkish General Staff | |
7 years and 1 day | ||||||||
6 | Fahri Korutürk (1903–1987) |
28 March 1973 |
6 April 1980 |
1973 | Independent | 3rd Commander of the Turkish Navy | ||
7 years and 1 day | ||||||||
7 | ![]() |
Kenan Evren (1917–2015) |
6 April 1980 |
9 November 1989 |
— | Independent | Chairman of the National Security Council | |
1982 | ||||||||
7 years and 1 day | ||||||||
8 | ![]() |
Turgut Özal (1927–1993) |
9 November 1989 |
17 April 1993 |
1989 | Independent | 19th Prime Minister of Turkey | |
3 years and 160 days | ||||||||
9 | ![]() |
Süleyman Demirel (1924–2015) |
17 April 1993 |
16 May 2000 |
1993 | Independent | 12th Prime Minister of Turkey | |
7 years and 1 day | ||||||||
10 | ![]() |
Ahmet Necdet Sezer (born 1941) |
16 May 2000 |
28 August 2007 |
2000 | Independent | 14th President of the Constitutional Court of Turkey | |
7 years and 105 days | ||||||||
11 | ![]() |
Abdullah Gül (born 1950) |
28 August 2007 |
28 August 2014 |
2007 | Independent | 40th Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
7 years and 1 day | ||||||||
12 | ![]() |
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 1954) |
28 August 2014 |
Incumbent | 2014 | Independent | 25th Prime Minister of Turkey | |
2018 | Justice and Development Party | |||||||
10 years and 11 days |
Timeline
![](/images/timeline/p9zujl7asdngy59k3enmsa93jgwzh5b.png)
List of presidents by age
The median age at inauguration of incoming Turkish presidents is 63.5 years. The specific years and days median is 55 years and 104.5 days, which falls midway between how old Turgut Özal was in 1989 and Kenan Evren was in 1982.
The youngest person to assume the presidency was Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who, at the age of 42, was the founding father of the newly formed Turkish Republic. The oldest to become president by election was Fahri Korutürk, who was inaugurated at age 69.[1] At age 63, Abdullah Gül was the youngest person to become a former president. The oldest president at the end of his tenure was Celâl Bayar at 77.
Cemal Gürsel had the shortest retirement of any president, dying barely five months after leaving office at age 70 (the youngest president to die of natural causes). His presidency was prematurely terminated by the Parliament in conformity with the Constitution due to worsening of his health.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Turgut Özal experienced no post-presidency retirement as both died in office due to natural reasons.[2][3] Celâl Bayar's post-presidency retirement, which lasted 26 years, is the longest in Turkish presidential history. At age 103, Celâl Bayar was also the nation's longest-lived president. He is one of three Turkish presidents (along with Süleyman Demirel and Kenan Evren) to have lived into their 90s. Currently, the youngest living president is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, age 70.
No. | President | Born | Age at start of presidency |
Age at end of presidency |
Post-presidency timespan |
Lifespan | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Died | Age | ||||||
1 | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk | January 4, 1881 | 42 years, 298 days Oct 29, 1923 |
57 years, 310 days Nov 10, 1938 |
[a] | 0 daysNov 10, 1938 | 57 years, 310 days |
2 | İsmet İnönü | September 24, 1884 | 54 years, 48 days Nov 11, 1938 |
65 years, 245 days May 27, 1950 |
23 years, 212 days | Dec 25, 1973 | 89 years, 92 days |
3 | Celâl Bayar | May 16, 1883 | 67 years, 11 days May 27, 1950 |
77 years, 11 days May 27, 1960 |
26 years, 87 days | Aug 22, 1986 | 103 years, 98 days |
4 | Cemal Gürsel | October 13, 1895 | 65 years, 362 days Oct 10, 1961 |
70 years, 166 days Mar 28, 1966 |
170 days | Sep 14, 1966 | 70 years, 336 days |
5 | Cevdet Sunay | February 10, 1899 | 67 years, 46 days Mar 28, 1966 |
74 years, 46 days Mar 28, 1973 |
9 years, 55 days | May 22, 1982 | 83 years, 101 days |
6 | Fahri Korutürk | August 3, 1903 | 69 years, 246 days Apr 6, 1973 |
76 years, 247 days Apr 6, 1980 |
7 years, 189 days | Oct 12, 1987 | 84 years, 70 days |
7 | Kenan Evren | July 17, 1917 | 65 years, 115 days Nov 9, 1982 |
72 years, 115 days Nov 9, 1989 |
25 years, 181 days | May 9, 2015 | 97 years, 296 days |
8 | Turgut Özal | October 13, 1927 | 62 years, 27 days Nov 9, 1989 |
65 years, 186 days Apr 17, 1993 |
[a] | 0 daysApr 17, 1993 | 65 years, 186 days |
9 | Süleyman Demirel | November 1, 1924 | 68 years, 196 days May 16, 1993 |
75 years, 197 days May 16, 2000 |
15 years, 32 days | Jun 17, 2015 | 90 years, 228 days |
10 | Ahmet Necdet Sezer | September 13, 1941 | 58 years, 246 days May 16, 2000 |
65 years, 349 days Aug 28, 2007 |
17 years, 10 days | (living) | 82 years, 360 days |
11 | Abdullah Gül | October 29, 1950 | 56 years, 303 days Aug 28, 2007 |
63 years, 303 days Aug 28, 2014 |
10 years, 10 days | (living) | 73 years, 314 days |
12 | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | February 26, 1954 | 60 years, 183 days Aug 28, 2014 |
(incumbent) | (incumbent) | (living) | 70 years, 194 days |
# | President | Born | Age at start of presidency |
Age at end of presidency |
Post-presidency timespan |
Died | Age |
Lifespan |
Graphical representation
This is a graphical lifespan timeline of the presidents of Turkey. They are listed in order of office.
![](/images/timeline/t2yn569cwlevqfwhl34zgm54qs88jk8.png)
The following chart shows presidents by their age (living presidents in green), with the years of their presidency in blue.
![](/images/timeline/mifqd3f0lj5p9yw8bacn9ud1fed89bs.png)
See also
- Acting President of Turkey
- President of Turkey
- Vice President of Turkey
- Çankaya Mansion
- Presidential Complex
- Presidential Guard Regiment (Turkey)
- History of Turkish presidential elections
References
- ^ "Türkiye'nin 12 Cumhurbaşkanı". BİA Haber Merkezi. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ Cavendish, Richard (11 November 2013). "Mustafa Kemal Ataturk dies in Istanbul". History Today. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ Cowell, Alan (18 April 1993). "Turgut Ozal, 66, Dies in Ankara; Pugnacious President of Turkey". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
External links
- Past presidents, Presidency of the Republic of Turkey.